The Champions Catharsis

It's been a rollercoaster ride for Randy Couture(Pictures) since he voiced his intention to
leave the UFC.

Despite the turmoil that has enveloped him, Couture has focused on
doing something good recently with a new hobby that doesn't involve
pummeling an opponent in a cage.

In his spare time since exiting the UFC, Couture took up poker and
recently assembled a successful charity event to raise money for
American GIs. "Operation: All In" had more than 130 participants
signed up to play poker with professional card sharks, fighters and
other celebrities. Couture hoped to raise more than $60,000 that
would go toward his GI foundation.

Before the event he took lessons with Jamie Gold, a champion poker
player, and joked that he fully expected to get his behind kicked.
Couture was also amazed at how much skill is involved in high-level
poker.

"On the outside, from a cursory look, you'd think that playing this
game would be luck," said Couture, who is also planning a similar
event in spring at the Hard Rock Hotel pool. "But I think
definitely there's some strategy. As the cards were being dealt at
our practice table, Jamie was giving me the lowdown on not only how
many chips were in the pot but also the ratio it was going to cost
him to play that particular hand and how many cards were still left
in the deck that could potentially affect his hand or his
opponent's hand to make his hand either playable or unplayable.
There's definitely a strategy involved as there are certain things
they look for, the look on their opponents' faces, the position
they sit at the table, where the dealer sits, where the blinds are,
etcetera. I was blown away."

The jovial Couture was easily read, though. He was in a festive
mood preparing for his afternoon to help military men and women,
but it was visible that he had been worn out with the UFC contract
situation and the continual questions from various media
outlets.

Couture shrugged his shoulders, let out a brief sigh and said that
it has been a trying time in his career. He was wishing for a
smooth transition out of his contract but acknowledged that before
he officially stepped away from Zuffa, he knew his resignation
"wouldn't be easy."

"I am just trying to wait out my contract since I cannot breach the
contract I signed with them," Couture said. "It runs out in July
for the fighting contract and then October for the employment
contract, and from there I'll pursue a way to make that Fedor fight
happen."

Clearly it's a fight that the vast majority of the MMA world would
love to witness, but it certainly seems like a pipedream. Since the
conclusion of the charity poker event, which raised more than
$93,000, it appears less likely that the mega bout will take place
this year. Whatever modicum of hope there was for a
Couture-Emelianenko battle in 2008 further put into question when
Zuffa sued Couture for allegedly breaching terms of a deal he had
with the MMA promoter.

Asked about a potential scrap with former PRIDE heavyweight monarch
Antonio Rodrigo
Nogueira(Pictures), a man some believe is the second
best heavyweight ever, Couture admitted it would be a true test of
skill and determination, but it's not the showdown he covets.

"I have a lot of respect for Nogueira," he stated. "I've watched
him fight a lot, and he fought Danny Henderson twice, who is
one of my training partners and a longtime friend. But in my mind,
at this stage in my career, the only fight that makes sense is the
one with Fedor. I want to fight the best guy and I want to settle
the debate as to who is the best heavyweight in the world right
now: me or him."

It's Fedor or bust for Couture, who broke his left arm again in
training before his charity event while checking a head kick. The
injury will force him out of training for six weeks. Still, he said
he'll be in perfect condition come autumn provided he will be able
to meet Fedor in either a ring or a cage.

If the fight can't happen, Couture said he'd probably retire.

"I think that'll be my last fight," he said. "I'll fight Fedor and
whatever happens, happens in that fight. I'll be done fighting for
good after that fight. It's the only fight I want. If it can't be
made for whatever reasons there may be, well, I don't know. It's
the only fight that I want -- nobody else."

Tackling the Zuffa lawsuit might not be a walk in the park for the
multiple world champion, but it's a battle he'll try to wage like
all the others in his celebrated career.

Couture has defied the odds before. If his fighting career is
indicative of things to come, somewhere down the line Couture might
just be locking horns with a Russian recognized as the top
heavyweight in the world.